Cambridge Science Festival Summative Evaluation Executive Summary

Goodman Research Group, Inc. (GRG) conducted a summative evaluation of the 2007 Cambridge Science Festival. The festival was the first of its kind in the United States and was held for nine days, offering a wide range of science- and technology-related activities throughout Cambridge, Massachusetts. Patterned after science festivals in Europe, it was a public celebration that sought to make science accessible, interactive and FUN, and highlight the excitement of discovery and the impact of science in all our lives. Families and school-aged youth in the community were target audiences for the festival. GRG's evaluation consisted of: 1) observations and survey data collection at a cross-section of festival events, 2) a web-based survey housed on the Cambridge Science Festival website, and 3) a small-scale outcomes-based research study of Cambridge middle school students who attended parts of the festival and consumed the many multimedia components.